The Nightingale [Anglais] [Poche]

Dalkey is clearly fond of Japanese culture, and her knowledge of the many different aspects of its religions is impressive. She builds an evocative Japanese background and fills it with new interpretations of an old fairy tale. The nightingale is no longer a bird, but a very human woman whose flute is a tool through which dead ancestors seek vengeance on the emperor.

Quite enjoyable; rather like her newer novels Little Sister and The Heavenward Path for an older audience.

_The Nightingale_ makes a pretty decent "for-fun" read on a night when you just want to unwind with a story. However, it wasn't the enchantment I expected. Mostly I think that's because of the klunky historical detail that hit me over the head like an anvil every couple of words. No one ever just walks across the room in this book; they walk in their Authentic Japanese Shoes across the Authentic Japanese Floor, and arrive at the other side of the room, where they sit down on an Authentic Japanese Piece of Furniture. Dalkey wants to immerse us in the period; instead it feels like a history lecture at times. I contrast this with Ellen Steiber's novella "The Fox Wife"--in Steiber's story, we know full well that we're in feudal Japan, but the detail is subtle and flows naturally with the story. (To find "The Fox Wife", see the anthology _Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears_.) I also felt that the characters could have been developed more; the most interesting characters are the poet Shonasaki (who has only a sidekick's role), and Amaterasu, who's a goddess and not a "character" as such. Uguisu, the protagonist, just seems to be an innocuously nice girl who plays the flute much too well for a beginner, and once in a while shows some backbone that she keeps hidden the rest of the time.

Kudos, though, to the storyline involving Amaterasu (fun!) and the way the Uguisu/Takenoko/Emperor love triangle was resolved; it was done in a way that was true to the characters, rather than being formulaic. The book gets much better in the last section.

Also, if you get the chance, read her later short story "The Chrysanthemum Robe", in the anthology _The Armless Maiden_. It is better-written than this novel, and the story is absolutely heartbreaking.

During the late eighties, Ace Book released a series based on fairytales, of which this is one. Dalkey retells the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale of the nightingale, changing the setting to Japan (because, she says, she knows more about Japan than she does China) and extending it to novel length.

A fine little work it is. Dalkey has taken the cast of characters form the tale, expanded on it, and fleshed out the existing bunch to give us a fine little tale. It is well-paced, intricate, and a joy to read. Along the way, the reader also
gains some knowledge of various Japanese cultural traditions. Quite fun, and highly recommended. ****